One Man, Zero Waste

With cities across the country adopting zero waste goals, one would assume that civic leaders would praise residents who take it upon themselves to reduce their own trash output to zero. Not so, according to San Carlos, Calif., resident Eddie House, who is being sued by the city for doing just that.

House was served with the suit after canceling his garbage collection service with Allied Waste. House, 53, lives alone with his dog and claims he doesn't produce a lot of garbage to begin with. He says he recycles paper, metal and plastics, hauling them himself and collecting the refund. Green waste winds up in his wood chipper, junk gets listed on Craigslist, and food scraps end up in his garbage disposal or his dog's stomach.

The lawsuit, filed by San Carlos Deputy City Attorney Linda Noeske, seeks a permanent injunction forcing House to maintain garbage service, citing a section of the city's municipal code that requires all residential, commercial and industrial properties to maintain weekly trash pickup. House first came to the city's attention after neighbors complained he was burning garbage in his backyard, and the fire department has visited him many times.

Clearly, there are some things a dog simply won't eat.Source:Examiner.com